In the past, much effort has been directed to improving the color reproduction characteristics of color photographic photosensitive materials. For example, colored couplers which remove unwanted absorptions of colored dyes formed by the couplers have been developed for use in color negative films. Also, the interlayer inhibiting effect has been increased by introducing couplers which react with the oxidation products of the developing agents in the p-phenylenediamine based color development baths disclosed in JP-A-50-2537 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 3,990,899) and release development inhibitors. Color saturation has also been improved in this way. The term "JP-A" as used herein signifies an "unexamined published Japanese patent application". However, there are significant disadvantages in the color reproduction characteristics of the currently used color photographic photosensitive materials. One of these disadvantages involves the production of a green cast when photographs are taken under fluorescent lights. Moreover, another drawback related to currently used photographic photosensitive materials is their inability to accurately reproduce colors which differ only slightly such as crimson and scarlet, red and orange, and yellow and yellowish greens.
A method in which the spectral sensitivity distributions of the blue-, green- and red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layers are limited to certain ranges in order to provide color reproduction fidelity and to provide photographic photosensitive materials used for taking photographs in which there is a reduced shift in color reproduction characteristics under various lighting conditions, has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,672,898.
The present inventor has found, unfortunately, that the aforementioned techniques, even when combined, do not provide photosensitive materials having satisfactory color saturation and hue fidelity. This result is believed to be due to a number of factors:
(1) Color saturation is reduced when the spectral sensitivities are set within the ranges disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,672,898.
(2) When the DIR compounds disclosed in JP-A-50-2537 are used to correct the reduced color saturation described above in (1), or masking is reinforced by means of colored couplers to increase color saturation, overlapping portions of the spectral sensitivity distributions of the blue-, green- and red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layers are mutually restrained and strain arises in the spectral sensitivity distribution. The result is that some shift in hue is inevitably produced.
A means of overcoming these problems has been suggested in JP-A-62-160448. This technique involves increasing saturation and achieving true reproduction of hues by means of a silver halide color photographic photo-sensitive material comprising, on a support, at least one blue-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer containing a yellow dye-forming color coupler, at least one green-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer containing a magenta dye-forming color coupler and at least one red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer containing a cyan dye-forming color coupler, the weight-averaged wavelength (.lambda..sub.G) of spectral sensitivity distribution of the green-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer being in the range of from 520 nm to 580 nm, the weight-averaged wavelength (.lambda..sub.-R) of the wavelength distribution of the interlayer effect received by the at least one cyan dye-forming red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer due to the other layers in the range of from 500 nm to 600 nm being in the range of more than 500 nm to 560 nm and the difference (.lambda..sub.G --.lambda..sub.-R) being 5 nm or more, characterized in that the wavelength distribution of the interlayer effect (S.sub.-R (.lambda.)) satisfies the following conditions:
(a) The wavelength .lambda..sub.-R.sup.max at which S.sub.-R (.lambda.) is the maximum is in the range of from 490 nm to 560 nm;
(b) The wavelength .lambda..sub.-R.sup.80 at which S.sub.-R (.lambda.) is equal to 80% of S.sub.-R (.lambda..sub.-R.sup.max) is in the range of from 450 nm to 534 nm and from 512 nm to 566 nm; and
(c) The wavelength .lambda..sub.-R.sup.40 at which S.sub.-R (.lambda.) is equal to 40% of S.sub.-R (.lambda..sub.-R.sup.max) is in the range of from 400 nm to 512 nm and from 523 nm to 578 nm.
With the above-described technique, it was possible to greatly improve the color reproduction properties of color photosensitive materials, but these materials were still unsatisfactory. When photographs were taken under various light sources, especially under fluorescent lighting, there were slight shifts in coloration when compared to the colors obtained on taking pictures in daylight.